The Jade Tiger
by Titania Le Fey
Summary: Just over a month before LA Snake takes a trip from Thailand to Japan.
1. The Jade Tiger

  
"You can't go around saying that here. This is Japan not that filthy sty in Thailand."

Snake ignored the man behind him as he shoved the door open and stepped into the bar. Snake surveyed it shaking some of the water from his coat. The bar hung heavy with smoke.

"Why?" Snake turned on the man behind him who was still fumbling at the door.

"I don't give a fuck about the Jade Tiger. They can fucking suck my dick if they think I'm going to let them walk all over me. I'd've stayed in the states if I wanted that bullshit to go on."

Snake made his move not caring if his companion kept up. In the back of his mind Plissken was hoping he'd lose him in the smoke and crowd.

"Snake you can't say that not here." The man's voice was nervous and quiet but Snake's keen ears heard every word.

Plissken shrugged watching the bartender make the Mai Tai he'd just ordered.

"They'll kill you." The exasperation was apparent in both men. Snake for the annoyance and the other for a fear Snake didn't care about. Plissken took his glass cocking a brow curiously at the arrangement of skewered fruit poking from the top.

"Let them try." Snake pushed past heading for a large semicircular booth hugging the wall near a door. It was his kind of seat. Plissken slid into the plush booth trying to ignore his companion. If he didn't need this guy for a job in the following week he would have shot him, hours ago. No, days ago.

"Why don't you shut the fuck up?" Snake glowered at the man now sitting across from him. This was supposed to be relaxing but his companion seemed all too eager to wind him to the breaking point. The words sputtered to a silence. It was brief and started again before Snake had a chance to take a drink from his glass.

"Everyone's working for the Jade Tiger out here."

Plissken shook his head laughing. If this guy ever shut up he might have to buy him a drink. Snake pulled one of the yellow swords from the glass looking at the cherries over before plucking one off. Fresh fruit was a rarity that Snake appreciated. He chewed the red fruit slowly and absently nodded to his companion. In comparison to the cherry this man's droning hardly registered in his senses.

The key to the situation was hardly. Despite the outward appearance of oblivion Snake was hyper-aware. He'd seen the woman in green silk come in with a man in blue. He had seen the man walk by the table and nod. Something was up but until he knew what Snake played the game.

Pineapple was next. Snake slid it off with his teeth while making eye contact with the man on the opposite side of the table. Sweat was forming on his forehead and dampening the armpits of his white shirt. His eyes were what caught the most attention from Snake's gaze. They were shifty and had a quality that Snake had seen in the eyes of people who believed he was about to kill them.

Plissken toyed with the plastic sword while he sipped his drink. His eye hadn't moved. Finally it trailed away to take in the reflections in the mirrors scattered through the bar. An audible sigh of relief came from his companion. Plissken forced himself to relax occupying his thoughts with the question of why this man was so terrified of the "Jade Tiger".

Another sip of his drink and the air seemed to change. Plissken felt the pressure change in the room. The throb in his eye was unmistakable. A large door had been opened and shifted the pressure to the same as the rain maintained outside in the constant storm.

His companion was looking off to somewhere over Snake's left shoulder. Instinct pulled Plissken's curiosity to look. The man in blue stood by the bar. His lips curved into a dangerous smile that caused Plissken's skin to crawl. He was in on it. Whatever was happening that man knew. Snake brought his attention back just in time to see the gun.

The hammer was cocking. Plissken's guns were still buckled firmly in the holsters. Overdrive set in, burning hot as the hate Snake instantly felt for being double crossed. Snake had one option and made good of it. With a quick flick of the wrist he threw the little, yellow sword. It hit its mark allowing Snake a glimpse of it vibrating where it stuck in the eye. Plissken's gut wrenched at the sight of the injured eye before hands removed it from his sight.

The scream that followed brought everyone's attention. A cacophony of Japanese started, none of which Plissken understood. Snake swept his foot under the table as he stood. The heavy gun collided with his boot sliding it out on the floor. Plissken had it in his hand and was up taking in the crowd like a startled animal. "Come on you've got to find them." He encouraged himself as his eye darted among the patrons. The man in blue was gone.

Snake's free hand worked the holster snap. The revolver pulled free as Plissken turned to see the two men approaching from the direction of the pressure change. They both wore blue.

"She wants to see you." The smaller of the two men stated out of arms reach. Snake didn't budge guns still at the ready. Slowly both men brought their hands out in front, palm up. It was the Asian equivalent to raising them up in the air, a show of being unarmed or unwilling to fight. Plissken relaxed but the guns remained unholstered as his eye roved the room.

"She has something you want and is looking for a deal."

Plissken could think of a lot of things he wanted. The question was what did this woman think he wanted.

"Where?" Snake tucked the extra gun behind his back still watching for hostility.

"We will take you there."

Plissken didn't care much for the tone and in reality he still hadn't worked out what role these people played in him almost getting shot. Did they know? Were they in on it? Was it a test? Snake glanced back at his previous companion. He was still squirming in the seat screaming about his eye and cursing Snake. Plissken found it amusing and cracked a smile. Whatever was going down, the man in the booth was either not involved or these blue clad Japanese were the most ruthless men on the face of the Earth. At least the bastard would finally be quiet for awhile once his throat went raw from the screaming.

Snake nodded watching them turn and cautiously trailed a good distance behind. Plissken was led through the bar, past a curtain and into a hall. The pressure increased pushing his pain to run tandem with the rain he could hear in torrents. Finally he saw the bay door that was open. A jade green limousine was parked in the bay, door already open and waiting. Plissken got in the back and was unsure if being alone was a relief or a worry. The vehicle started moving and Snake decided out of the rain was a good thing no matter what else could be said. The windows were blackened. Even the neon he knew lined the streets was blotted out. They didn't want him to know where he was going.

Plissken leaned back in the seat chuckling. It wasn't as if getting him lost would be difficult. This was the first night he spent in Japan and now he was without a guide. It didn't matter much. Another could be bought for next to nothing. Snake got comfortable and let his eye close. He focused on the movement of the limo and the pounding rain. He needed to collect his thoughts before his nerves were pushed farther by entering someone else's territory.  



	2. Playing Nicely

The limo slowly came to a halt alerting Plissken to the situation. He stretched lazily as the door opened. More blue clad Japanese greeted him as he stood. They were in another bay. It could have been the same one as far as Plissken could tell. It looked exactly like the one they had left. The ruse was continuing they still didn't want him to know where he was. Little did they know back in the bar Plissken was already lost.

"Third floor." One of the men instructed pointing toward an open elevator door.

Plissken hated elevators. They were like traps that roved up and down a building. Snake would rather run the steps, no matter how many there were. He doubted he would be given that sort of choice. Resigning to his hosts he made for the elevator. No one interfered though they watched him closely.

Plissken was internally reluctant but pressed the up arrow anyway. They hadn't disarmed him. That left only two choices; they were either fools or actually looking to deal. Snake would bet on the latter if he had to make a choice. Relief came with those thoughts because Plissken was honestly in no mood for a gunfight. He'd come to Japan to get away from them for awhile.

A loud metallic ding sounded followed by the grating of old doors sliding open. The inside of the elevator was unlit. A heartbeat passed in which Plissken was far away on a roof top waiting to descend into hell. Snake took a step inside and the doors began to close taking with them the light. Darkness pressed in around Plissken as the elevator jolted into motion. The feeling was claustrophobic but Snake had seen the tactic before. It was meant to unnerve him and throw his guard. The Snake wouldn't let parlor tricks hit his confidence.

The ride was short ending in another jolt that forced Plissken to rediscover his balance. The doors opened to blinding light. Pain throbbed vigorously in his head, burning hot as he stepped into the light. His eye was still filled with white haze though he could make out enough. There was one figure across the room with their back toward him.

His eye blinked several more times before the scene cleared. He was in a traditionally decorated room filled with greens and dark wood. The figure was a woman wearing a green Kimono and pouring a drink. She had yet to acknowledge him but the change in her posture was enough to verify that she was aware of his presence.

"Would you like a drink Mr. Plissken?" Her voice was quiet with an unusual accent, not quite the Japanese accent to the English. There was something more to it that eluded Plissken.

"Call me Snake." Plissken announced in his usual low, gravelly and disinterested voice.

"Very well, Snake. Would you care for a glass of wine?" She turned exposing the plunge front of the kimono and the bottle of plum wine in her hand. Her features were striking. Her skin and hair were those of a Japanese woman but her eyes were emerald and her cheeks dusted in red flecks.

"No." Snake stated. He knew better than to drink in this kind of circumstance.

The woman turned away again, evidently to pour herself a glass. "The great Snake Plissken refuses a drink. I shall have to mark it on my calendar."

Her voice was a mock that Snake didn't care for. When she again faced him he hadn't moved from his place in front of the elevator door.

"Why am I here?" Snake was through with whatever game they were going to play. He wasn't interested in a duel of words or any other form of bandy. He wanted to go back to what he had come to Japan for.

"So, much for pleasantries." She smiled over the rim of her off green wine goblet before sipping.

"The Jade Tiger." He announced taking a gander at exactly who was in front of him. All the green and the curl of a tiger tail decorating her skin between the breasts were surely enough to go on.

"Smart too." She commented with so much flattery it instantly put Plissken on edge. Plissken was still staring at the tiger tail, committing the mark to memory just in case he ever had to recall it.

"Like what you see Snake?" She pushed the kimono open enough to expose the entire tiger prowling down between her breasts.

Snake wasn't interested in the exposed skin. It was the tattoo he was examining. Something about it brought back memories. The war flashed in his mind, moments of explosions and a brilliant flash outside his cockpit. It lit up another glider painted with that same tiger.

"The Green Tigers." Snake mumbled it to himself as if to confirm his suspicion.

The woman's expression changed to what one might call shock. "What?"

Snake came to from his memories unsure of where they were in the conversation.

"What did you say?"

Plissken was silent for a moment. He hadn't known he'd said anything out loud. He knew some about the Green Tigers. They had been stationed in Japan before The Ruse.

"The Green Tigers. That's their flight mark." Snake nodded in her direction and resumed his survey of the room. She seemed annoyed by his ignorance of her bare skin.

The woman nodded and it instantly set Plissken's mind to set the scenario. Father in the US military, mother in a whorehouse. It was the way things went in war.

"You flew the Black Light." She retorted. It was Plissken's turn to be suspicious of what the other knew.

"Why am I here?" Snake asked again denying her any affirmation or denial to the statement.

"I have something you've been looking for." The Jade Tiger smiled coyly and sipped her wine.

"What's that?" Plissken countered shifting his weight from the left to the right.

"The question isn't what I have but what you're willing to pay for it."

Snake's expression faded to disgust. "I'm not interested."

"Oh, but you are honey. You just don't know it yet."

Plissken gave her a dirty look. He wasn't in the mood for games or her coy tactics. He gave her a moment before turning his back on her and pressing the down arrow. He was done with this and ready to go back to his hotel.

"Berrigan!" She announced as the doors began to part.

Snake froze at that one word. Disgust welled up followed by a volcanic eruption of emotion, hate, pain and a killer instinct that would pale even that of a starving tiger. Rage pinned him to place. The only thing that moved was his lip curling into a silent snarl and the narrowing of his eye.

"Ah, I knew you were interested. So, Snake, what's the going rate on Berrigan's head these days?"

Snake turned and glared at her. "He's dead." It was a lie but Plissken had to determine if this was credible.

"Really?" The Tiger pressed a button on her speaker phone. "Will you put Berrigan on?"

There was silence and then a male voice. "Yes Madam?"

Plissken sucked in a breath so hard his lungs burned. That fire bubbled up into bile in the back of Plissken's throat.

"I've got an old friend of yours out here." The woman smiled at the silence. "I know you are familiar with Snake Plissken. Maybe you don't remember him."

She went on talking but Plissken missed it consumed with white hot fire so strong his eye didn't even hurt. No, this anger burned so hot it numbed his senses. He had been searching for Berrigan for years, over twenty and the whole time that hate had festered.

"How much is he worth to you Snake?" The Tiger had turned off the speaker and started across the room at him. Snake hardly noticed.

"What do you want?"

The Jade Tiger stopped a few feet away looking Plissken over. "I want you. I want to own you for two weeks and have you do what I want you to. For that I'll give you revenge."

Plissken didn't like the sound of this offer but in the back of his mind he could still hear Berrigan's voice. He could still hear him giving the orders for Leningrad and with it merged the sound of Sophia's screams. Those two sounds had filled his nightmares and plagued his life. "Why?"

"Simple. I got a job in Thailand. I need a bodyguard, a guide and what every woman wants from you."

The first part Snake understood all too well. It was a common commission for others to request from him but the last comment piqued his curiosity.

"What might that be?"

Plissken watched the Tiger's eyes sliding down. "Just where does that tattoo of yours go."

Snake let out a half laugh. "Is that all?"

The woman paused and contemplated his counter. She knew he was trying to alter her plans but if she knew as much as she appeared Plissken was certain she would realize any job would play by his rules. Snake waited patiently. He wanted Berrigan and on the terms he had offered he would play the game to get him. Otherwise, this Jade Tiger would find herself playing Plissken's style and no one ever liked that. 


End file.
